Posted on 07/03/2018 12:32:03 AM PDT by ATOMIC_PUNK
A secret memo marked “URGENT” detailed how the House Democratic Caucus’s server went “missing” soon after it became evidence in a cybersecurity probe. The secret memo also said more than “40 House offices may have been victims of IT security violations.”
In the memo, Congress’s top law enforcement official, Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving, along with Chief Administrative Officer Phil Kiko, wrote, “We have concluded that the employees [Democratic systems administrator Imran Awan and his family] are an ongoing and serious risk to the House of Representatives, possibly threatening the integrity of our information systems and thereby members’ capacity to serve constituents.”
The memo, addressed to the Committee on House Administration (CHA) and dated Feb. 3, 2017, was recently reviewed and transcribed by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The letter bolsters TheDCNF’s previous reporting about the missing server and evidence of fraud on Capitol Hill.
It details how the caucus server, run by then-caucus Chairman Rep. Xavier Becerra, was secretly copied by authorities after the House Inspector General (IG) identified suspicious activity on it, but the Awans’ physical access was not blocked.
But after, the report reads, the server appears to have been secretly replaced with one that looked similar.
The memo called for firing the Pakistani-born aides, revoking all their computer accounts, and changing the locks on any door they had access to.
Rep. Louie Gohmert — a Texas Republican on the House Committee on the Judiciary who has done oversight work on the case — said the missing server contained copies of Congress members’ emails.
“They put 40 members of Congress’s data on one server … That server, with that serial number, has disappeared,” he said.
Multiple sources connected to the investigation told TheDCNF that shortly after an IG report came out identifying the House Democratic Caucus server as key evidence in a criminal probe, the evidence was stolen.
“They [the Awans] deliberately turned over a fake server” to falsify evidence, one official close to the CHA alleged. “It was a breach. The data was completely out of [members’] possession.”
The six-page letter says:
• In September of 2016 … the CHA and [IG] briefed the former Chairman of the Democratic Caucus about suspicious activity related to their server that the [IG] identified. As a result, the former Chairman of the Democratic Caucus directed the CAO to copy the data from their server and two computers. • The CHA directed the IG to refer the matter to the US Capitol Police. The USCP initiated an investigation that continues to this day. • In late 2016, the former Chairman of the Democratic Caucus announced his intention to resign from Congress to assume a new position. The CAO and [sergeant-at-arms] worked with the Chairman to account for his inventory, including the one server. • While reviewing the inventory, the CAO discovered that the serial number of the server did not match that of the one imaged in September. [Investigators] also discovered that the server in question [the replacement server] was still operating under the employee’s control, contrary to the explicit instructions of the former chairman to turn over all equipment and fully cooperate with the inquiry and investigation. [A House source said the “employee” was Abid Awan.] • The USCP interviewed relevant staff regarding the missing server. • On January 24, 2017, the CAO acquired the [replacement] server from the control of the employees and transferred that server to the USCP.
President Donald Trump referenced the Democratic Caucus’ missing server in a tweet. But because the letter to the CHA was kept secret, many news outlets have not grasped that the House’s top cop documented a “missing server” connected to the Democratic Caucus.
The timeline laid out in the letter also shows that Becerra — now California’s Democratic attorney general — failed to ensure that the Awans didn’t have access to House computer systems during the 2016 election, which was wrought with cybersecurity scandals.
An IG presentation from September 2016 shows that Becerra knew of problems months before the server disappeared.
“The Caucus Chief of Staff requested one of the shared employees to not provide IT services or access their computers,” it read. “This shared employee continued.” It’s unclear why that request was not granted or why it was a request rather than an order.
A House official close to the probe said the employee was Abid, who was not on Becerra or the Caucus’s payroll. The official said Becerra Chief of Staff Sean McCluskie apparently knew Abid was accessing Caucus servers. According to payroll records, Abid’s sister-in-law, Hina Alvi, was the Caucus’ systems administrator.
The Awans’ continued physical access to Becerra’s equipment after red flags emerged enabled the server to disappear after it became evidence, House officials close to the investigation told TheDCNF. (RELATED: Becerra Tried To Block Awan From House Democratic Caucus Server, But Logins Continued; He Didn’t Go To Cops)
Becerra has refused to comment, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.
The February 2017 memo itemizes “numerous and egregious violations of House IT security” by members of the Awan family, including using Congress members’ usernames and “the unauthorized storage of sensitive House information outside the House.”
“These employees accessed user accounts and computers for offices that did not employ them, without the knowledge and permission of the impacted Member’s office,” it said, adding, “4 of the employees accessed the Democratic Caucus computers 5,735 times.” More than 100 office computers were open to access from people not on the office’s staff, it said.
Chris Gowen — a former aide to Hillary Clinton who is now serving as Imran’s attorney — told TheDCNF, “There is no missing server and never was.”
He didn’t provide any support for his claim, which is contrary to evidence Kiko and Irving presented to Congress.
The memo said the CHA possesses voluminous evidence, including, “Interview notes with House Members’ Chiefs of Staff,” and “Logon activity and computer access logs.” Prosecutors have not brought charges.
The Awans were banned from Congress’s computer network the day the letter was sent, and Kiko held a briefing to convey the message to chiefs of staff for members who employed them.
But Democrats claim they were never told about any of the cybersecurity issues itemized in the urgent memo. Rep. Jackie Speier — a California Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence who employed Imran and his wife, Hina Alvi — said she never heard of any missing server.
Joaquin Castro of Texas — another Democratic intelligence committee member who employed one of the Awans — told TheDCNF that Kiko never told him of any cybersecurity issues whatsoever and that the Awan probe was instead described as a theft issue.
Indeed, the CHA issued only one public statement on the case and titled it the “House Theft Investigation” — wording that avoids cybersecurity words while political news coverage raged about other cybersecurity issues in the 2016 election.
Yet even the alleged theft has not resulted in criminal charges — even though the letter also says House authorities have “purchase orders and vouchers” that allegedly show procurement fraud, as well as testimony from a Democratic chief of staff to Rep. Yvette Clarke, who warned of procurement fraud.
The FBI arrested Imran at the airport in July 2017 for alleged bank fraud that occurred six months prior, and Democrats have since claimed that the case is about nothing but bank fraud. Bank fraud does not explain why the Awans were kicked off the House network concurrent with the urgent memo, which did not cite bank fraud.
A Democratic IT aide who alleged that Imran solicited a bribe from him told TheDCNF he believes members of Congress are playing dumb and covering the matter up. Wendy Anderson, a former chief of staff to New York Rep. Yvette Clarke, told House investigators that she suspected that her predecessor, Shelley Davis, was working with Abid on a theft scheme, but Clarke refused to fire Abid until outside investigators got involved, TheDCNF reported.
Eighteen months after the evidence was recounted in the urgent memo, prosecution appears to have stalled for reasons not publicly explained. Imran is in court July 3 for a possible plea deal in the bank fraud case. Gohmert said the FBI has refused to accept evidence demonstrating alleged House misconduct, and some witnesses with first-hand knowledge say the bureau has not interviewed them.
The memo...was recently reviewed and transcribed by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
This is evidence that the Democrats in Congress are completely compromised by foreign intelligence agents IMO and continue to operate against the interests of the US. They should be arrested and treated as foreign agents.
What will the Democrats do next? Perhaps hand all of the government’s classified documents to foreign enemies in public and brag about it to the media, just to see if Republicans will let them get away with it?
We all very much need to vote in the midterm elections this year. That is, if we get a new Supreme Court justice who has a clear record of agreeing with our Second Amendment as originally written and intended.
Reportedly, on July 9th, we’ll find out what the President’s position on the Second Amendment is. Is it more important than political correctness? Stay tuned.
“vanished”
“went missing”
It has no ability to do it on its own. Some human hid it.
Time to waterboard every House Demonicrat and their staff until someone tells where it is.
The hearing in DC is today!!!
Any DC freepers available to attend?
But then again, Hillary does have a track record (900 FBI files).
I still think Debbie had/has the hots for Awan. Make her tell what she knows and put a bunch of people in prison.
Belongs in news/activism
I wonder what we would find on those missing emails? Maybe it would show that more then 40 democrats were conspiring to take down president Trump. The entire rat party needs to go down.
Becerra is not mentioned in any comments, but he got out of Dodge and is now AG in California. He’s died in the wool anti Trump. How complicit is he?
AND THIS SHOCKER---IMRAN AWAN, US GOVT EMPLOYEE, WORKED HOUSE INTEL IN PAKISTAN---
and not one of his employers---all House Democrats--- reported the incident
Cong Louis Gohmert (Repub-Texas), a former judge, was shocked to learn that Imran Awan conducted the Congress of the United States' IT work in Pakistan, for months at a time, without supervision.
GOHMERT: “I did not realize that we (taxpayers) paid someone the maximum that any House employee could get paid........ and for months at a time, he was handling information technology for the House of Representatives from Pakistan. This is just mind-boggling. I had no idea anybody would even think about trying to do something like that,” Gohmert added.
Imran is a US govt employee. He cashes US govt paychecks. He's handling Congressional data----sensitive top secret data---he's in an active terrorist country for months at a time handling US intel without supervision. Yet his mentor and employer Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz did nothing. Congressional Democrats who employed Imran said nothing.
Taxpayers must demand answers:
<><> How did Awan get a sensitive job in the US Congress?
<><> Was he given preference over American job-seekers?
<><> Claiming to be a naturalized American citizen, did he falsify his credentials?
<><> did Democrat Debbie Wassermann Schultz sign-off on Imran's trips to Pakistan?
<><> did Democrat Schultz inform others that Imran conducted IT work for the House in Pakistan?
<><> did Democrats inform constituents their emails were being accessed in a terrorist-sponsored country?
<><> why did Debbie Wasserman Schultz keep Imran on as her "advisor" after his shady deals were exposed?
NY Democrat---Cong Yvette Clarke and friend.
Yvette Clarke describes herself as a "Queen of the Caribbean;"
She belongs to the Congressional Caribbean Caucus.
Clarke made friends quickly, what with her knowledge of offshore banking havens in the Caribbean.
HOW THE IT SCAM WAS RIGGED FOR PROFIT----Democrat NY Cong Yvette Clarke's office approved a $120,000 "write-off" of tax-paid tech Equipment Linked To the Awan clan (made the tax dollars and the equipment disappear).The missing govt-issue tax-paid devices included many iPhones and iPads. At $800 each, Cong Yvette Clarke's $120,000 write-off would force taxpayers to pay for 150 electronic items for her staff of 16......that's about 10 iPhones and iPads each.
Democrat Cong Yvette Clarke's tax-paid payroll records indicate she has 16 employees......why did Cong Clarke need so many electronics for that small staff? She was also oblivious to the fact that all that expensive govt-paid equipment she ordered was delivered to Imran's house.
According to ace reporting by the Daily Caller, Cong Clarke's office casually signed off on what appears to be a theft ring operating inside the Democrat Congressional Caucus then-headed by Cong Becerra.The facts suggest the Awan gang was running the oldest of scams......selling computer gear out the back door after first reporting it stolen to authorities. (hat tip The Daily Caller).
NOTE: Democrat Clarke is only one employer audited, so far. Patterns of theft in other Democrat offices have yet to be investigated.
===============================
EXCERPT....then-Democrat Cong Becerra never publicly acknowledged nor demanded consequences for the cyber breach on his House Democratic Caucus server (similar in nature to the DNC)......and eighteen months later, no one has been charged....not surprising since the elected Democrats don’t appear to be asking for it......
This is a huge red flag. This is organized crime on Capitol Hill.
Democrats have apparently taken the "Oath of Omerta."
A Strange Tale: the Congressional Federal Credit Union and Democrats’ IT spies
RESEARCH PROVIDED BY ANDREW McCARTHY (sarcasm provided by poster):
Bank fraud was the stated charge on which Debbie Wassermann Schultz’s IT aide, Imran Awan, was arrested at Dulles Airport, as he was fleeing the United States for Pakistan, via Qatar.......the same route taken by his wife, Hina Alvi, in March, when she suddenly fled, with $12,400 in cash (NOTE: it is against the law to take more than $10,000 out of the US without declaring it.).
By the time of Imran’s arrest, the proceeds of his fraudulent $165,000 “loan” from the Congressional Federal Credit Union had been wired to Pakistan.... part of a $283,000 transfer that Awan managed to wire from Capitol Hill.
The conniving Imran pulled it off by pretending to be his wife in a phone call to Capitol Hill’s true believers-—the Congressional Federal Credit Union. Told that his proffered reason for the transfer (“funeral arrangements”) wouldn’t fly, “Mrs.” Awan promptly regrouped: Now “she” was “buying property.”
Asking no more questions, the compliant Congressional Federal Credit Union wired the money......to Pakistan. One assumes the trusting Congressional Federal Credit Union had every expectation of getting repaid (cue laugh machine here).
Call President Trump: Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FBI TIPS PAGE-https://tips.fbi.gov
TALKING POINTS-—The credit union employee (or bank officer) that approved the Imran loan and wire-transfer needs looking into. They had to know that was a farce. and one assumes Cong Debbie had to sign off on any financial transactions of her employee.
Congressional Federal Credit Union
PO Box 23267
Washington, DC 20026-3267
Local 703.934.8300
Toll Free: 800.491.2328
From Capitol Hill 6.3100
Email Email@CongressionalFCU.org
WEB SITE
https://www.congressionalfcu.org/about/about-us/about-congressional-federal
During Sept 2016, The Awan clan continued to use Cong Xavier Becerra’s House Democratic Caucus computers in anomalous ways:
<><> logging on as “system administrators”
<><> changing identities
<><> logging onto Cong Becerra’s server using 17 different user account credentials
<><> some credentials belonged to Democrat House members
<><> the Awans did not work for 9 of the 17 offices to which user accounts belonged.
<><> investigations found “possible storage of sensitive House information” outside the House
<><> Dropbox is installed on two Democratic Caucus computers used by the suspects
<><> user accounts had thousands of files in their Dropbox folder on each computer
<><> Using Dropbox is against House rules because it uploads files offsite.
<><> Wash/Po reported “Based on the file names, some of the information is likely sensitive.”
<><> post-awan clean up discovered many computer set-ups were little more than “thin clients”
<><> computer set-ups were portals to an outside computer.
<><> Awans were using terminal servers from a computer in a different location.
<><>Virtual Private Networks can make a server’s hard drive appear to be local to a computer.
<><> remote sessions remained active for months at a time.
<><> data was always out of the members’ possession
<><> the Awans were using Becerra’s House Democratic Caucus as their central service warehouse.
<><> the Awans collectively logged onto Becerra’s Caucus system 5,735 times, avg 27 per day
<><> other offices were accessed less than 60 times.
<><> the pattern of login activity suggests steps were taken to conceal their activity
<><>aggregating multiple members’ data means all that data was absconded with
<><> L/E said Becerra’s entire Democratic Caucus server physically disappeared while being monitored by L/E.
<><> no scenario exists where the Awan clan’s access was appropriate
<><> House members are not allowed to accept services from people not on their payroll
<><> House employees are not permitted to log in to servers of members for whom they do not work.
<><> House policies are codified by law.
Server vanished, yet Sessions’ DOJ can’t find any evidence that crimes were committed.
How could they? It “vanished” away.
The fact that it "vanished", indicates a crime has been committed.
The point is, Sleepy & Co. can't even figure that much out.
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